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My New Love: French Press Coffee!

A number of years ago my sister gave me a Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee maker as a Christmas present. I didn’t end up using it right away and then it got packed away for a move and consequently ended up in storage for a few years. After one more move and the unpacking of boxes that I hadn’t seen the insides of in a very long time, it was like Christmas all over again! After about a month of use, I ended up breaking the glass carafe in my Bodum French Press and bought a Linkyo brand Round Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker off of Amazon. No more of messing around with broken glass for me!

Anyway, when the French press coffee maker originally re-presented itself, I was finally ready to give it a try. I started reading up online about the proper way to brew coffee in a French press and quickly learned that this method of brewing coffee is an art for many people! It actually was a bit intimidating at first. You see, ideally there is a process to follow for that perfectly robust cup-of-coffee-goodness:

The fresher the beans are, the better.

Freshly ground is best, using a burr grinder to control the size of the grounds.

The grind can’t be too fine…grinding on the coursest setting is best, not only for the taste of the coffee but to keep fine grounds from slipping through the filter and ending up in your cup o’ joe {who likes to drink their grounds? Not this girl.}

The water temperature that is used to brew the coffee determines the quality of the final brew. If it is too cool you end up with a weak and less than satisfying cup of coffee. Too hot? The coffee can be bitter. Ideally the water temp should be between 195 degrees and 205 degrees. Water boils at 212 degrees, so if you don’t want to measure the temperature, bring the water to a boil and then let sit a minute or two before pouring it onto the grounds to steep. I have found that when I have my tea kettle on the stove, I can hear the sound the water makes in the bottom of the kettle just prior to it coming to a full-boil and therefore causing the kettle to whistle. When I hear that sound {before it starts to whistle}, is when I like to take the kettle water off of the stove to use.

The amount of grounds you use to steep your coffee is really preference. You don’t want too many or it can make your coffee bitter. If you use too few, you may not end up with a strong enough cup of coffee. I find that 3 Tablespoons of course grounds per 16 ounces {2 cups} of water or 6 Tablespoons of course grounds per 32 ounces {4 cups} of water is how I like to make mine. Play around with the ratio to see what you like. Note: some people that are super serious about this step weigh out their coffee beans to be very precise and consistent with each brew. Measuring out my 6 Tablespoons is good enough for me.

To utilize all of the grounds, you need to ensure that they are fully immersed in the water. To fully immerse the grounds in the water to allow for a better steep, pour half of the hot water over the grounds and allow to “bloom” for 30 seconds. The grounds will float and form a “crust” on top of the water that needs to be broken up. With a wooden spoon {if using a French press that has a glass carafe to avoid breakage}, stir the grounds vigorously for a few seconds with an up and down motion. Add the last half of hot water, add lid to French press and allow to steep for the remaining amount of time. Do not press the plunger down yet…this comes at the very end of the brew time, right before pouring the cups of coffee.

Finally, brew time. Most of the information I read said to steep the coffee grounds in the hot water for about 4 minutes. I find that I can taste the notes of the coffee more distinctly, and enjoy the cup of coffee more when I allow the grounds to steep in the water for 7 minutes. Again, personal preference. Play around with anywhere from 4-7 minutes with your brew time to see what you prefer. After the steeping time is over, your coffee is ready to plunge and enjoy!

So, are you ready to embark on this French press coffee journey? I can tell you, since I started using a French press to make my coffee about 4 months ago, I have been hooked! In fact, I may start bringing the press with me when we travel because I miss my morning cup of freshly brewed coffee from it when I am away from home! If you are a French press lover as well, let me know how you brew your coffee! Ready to go out and buy and French press? Let me know how you enjoy it! -Shelley.

Ingredients

What You Will Need

Directions

Grind beans in burr grinder on the most course setting. The grounds should be even and course about the size of breadcrumbs without much fine grit.

Measure out 6 Tablespoons of the course grounds in the bottom of French press.

Measure 32 ounces {4 cups} of water and place in a tea kettle. Heat until almost boiling {195 degrees – 205 degrees}.

Pour half of the hot water {16 ounces or 2 cups} over the coffee grounds in the French press.

Set a timer for anywhere from 4-7 minutes.

After 30 seconds, take the wooden spoon and vigorously stir the crust of the coffee grounds into the water in an up and down motion.

Add remaining 2 cups of hot water and place lid on French press. Do not plunge down yet. Allow to brew for remaining time on timer.

When the timer goes off, immediately gently press the plunger all of the way down in the French press. Pour into coffee cups and enjoy drinking immediately. Do not allow any remaining coffee to remain in French press because even though the plunger is down it will continue to brew stronger and become bitter.